Recently, I have been on the hunt for recipes that are not only impressive, but also reliable. When I have company over for dinner, I tend to make the same few dishes over, and over again, knowing they are failsafe and delicious, but lately I have become somewhat tired of the same old recipes. Knowing the upcoming months will be company-filled I thought it was time for some new meal ideas. So, I turned to one of my favorite cookbook authors, Ina Garten, and her book “Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust“.
Ina’s recipes are not only delicious and satisfying, but they look great and are simple to prepare, using easily accessible ingredients, perfect for entertaining. Most importantly, being that these recipes are labeled as foolproof by none other than Ina herself, you can be sure they’ll be a hit for any menu. The book is complete with foolproof tips on shopping, entertaining, table settings, and it even provides menus for different dinner themes and holidays throughout the year, taking the guessing out of menu planning.
Don’t you love how food is so photogenic? I can guarantee you will be drooling with this photo- filled book of recipes. Each recipe has a picture so you have something with which to aspire. Some of my favorite recipes from this book include: Mustard and Gruyre Batons, Easy Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons, Veal Chops with Caramelized Shallots, Penne alla Vecchia Bettola, and the Salted Caramel Brownies. Drooling yet? Each recipe I tried turned out marvelously and were sophisticated enough to serve to company and family, alike.
There are several other books by Ina here at the library, and they are all fantastic. One of the best chocolate cakes I have ever made has become a family favorite, Beatty’s Chocolate Cake can be found in Ina’s book “Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You’ll Make Over and Over Again.” I think you might be surprised at what you can create with a little help from Ina and Princeton Public Library.